Indian Government Forges New partnership With West Midlands Small Firms & WMG

A new partnership between small firms in India
and the West Midlands is to be launched at the Warwick
Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick on Monday 11th
September. Mr Anupam Dasgupta, Secretary to the Government of India
Ministry of Small Scale Industries and Ministry of Agro and Rural
Industries, will be visiting WMG that morning to launch the new
partnership.

Mr Dasgupta has responsibility for developing networks for small
firms in India and between the UK & India. This is his second
visit to WMG to discus this exciting project and he will also be
visiting West Midlands small firms who have benefited by working
with WMG.

WMG's Dr Jay Bal, who is leading this project says, "The
Indians are very interested in the on-line systems and services we
have created to assist small firms in supporting their
collaboration and in finding new markets. India is a very large
country and new technology has huge potential in enabling small
firms' to collaborate to win orders.

India is also a huge potential market for UK small firms and
effective partnerships and collaborations between West Midlands and
Indian firms can offer great opportunities for both sides this is a
win-win opportunity".

The partnership will forge links between West Midlands and Indian
small firms providing for technology transfer, the exchange of
mentors in specific industrial fields, work to promote and support
enterprise-to-enterprise cooperation and joint ventures, mutual
assistance in exhibitions and industrial fairs, and special events
and seminars in both the UK and India.

Mr Anupam Dasgupta will be accompanied by Mr Samuel Joseph of the
Export Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) who are looking to fund
such ventures and Mr Ram Venuprasad Special Assistance Director of
the Commonwealth Secretariat who is responsible for the
Commonwealth SME assistance projects in numerous countries.